As police investigating the deaths of Dawn and Andrew Searle in France can’t yet say anything for certain, and their grieving family are left with more questions than answers, their final movements are unclear.
Former criminal investigator Andrew, 62, and his wife Dawn, 56, who was originally from Musselburgh, East Lothian, were tragically killed at their home in a quiet hamlet last week. The couple, who had permanently moved to France, appeared to live an idyllic life in Les Pesquies, around 50 miles from Toulouse, with neighbours remembering them as “lovely” and “very nice”.
Andrew and Dawn, who married in September 2023, with Dawn’s son, former Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr, walking her down the aisle. Their bodies were found at their house in shocking circumstances on Thursday, February 7, with local authorities stating it was “clearly a homicide”. Nearly a week on, prosecutors are still keeping all lines of enquiry open.
On Friday, it was revealed how their bodies had been discovered. Andrew Searle was found hanged inside the house with a gag in his mouth. No gun or knife could be seen nearby, which suggests he may have been brutally tortured before his death, French police said.
Dawn Searle was found just in front of the house, naked and with a wound to her head. Her body was surrounded by scattered jewellery. It is believed the way both bodies were discovered points to the victims attempting to escape when they were killed by an unidentified intruder or intruders, reports the Mirror.
Giving an update on Monday, February 10, prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Miller said: “It’s very open. It’s far too early for me to say anything, we have to keep our eyes peeled. We’re not favouring any direction at the moment.” It comes after Andrew’s father Fred Searle, 88, said: “We’ve got thousands of questions and very few answers.”
As investigations continue, theories around their deaths and final hours have been discussed, based on information gleaned about their past and the accounts of people who knew them.
CCTV footage
Police are hoping they will pick up something on footage captured leading up to their bodies being found that will help them solve the case. French authorities are confident any perpetrator will have been clocked on cameras in the area.
Camera footage of Andrew in a local shop, taken the day before his death, has been shared. It shows him buying a bar of chocolate and two lottery tickets just before 6pm on Wednesday. The shopkeeper, Isabelle Palazy, 58, said: “I just couldn’t believe it when I heard the news. He and Dawn were regular customers.
“He would come in every day and buy Fortuna Blue cigarettes. That day he came in just before I was closing and he seemed perfectly happy, he was relaxed and he chatted and bought some chocolate and two lottery tickets.
“Thinking that they were to die less than 24 hours later makes me go cold, I just can’t believe it. They were a lovely couple, always happy and chatting and they spoke reasonably good French. He was working on his house, and he would come and buy chocolate bars here, KitKat and Kinder were his favourite.”
Mobile phones
The couple’s phones are being examined and reportedly provided “vital clues” into their deaths so far. One detective said a device belonging to Andrew is proving “particularly helpful”.
The source added: “There is a mine of information, and recent calls made by Mr Searle are providing vital clues.”
Horror scene
Their bodies were discovered at around midday on Thursday after they failed to show up for a planned dog walk with their neighbours.
It is believed the circumstances in which they were found point to the couple attempting to escape when they were killed. Speaking to French publication La Dépêche, a source close to the investigation said: “The wife’s body was first discovered, completely naked, in front of the door of the house. Around the unfortunate woman, jewellery was found scattered, testifying to a great disorder. In the house, the husband’s body was discovered hanging with a gag stuck in his mouth.”
Local Mayor Orcibal has previously stated previous speculations of “burglary gone wrong” could be ruled out. Investigators also said no weapons were found at the scene, and neither body sustained bullet or knife wounds following initial examination.
Unusual activity
Two neighbours said they witnessed Andrew having a heated conversation on the phone in the days before his death. Antoine Da Silva, a retired council worker, shared how he saw him rushing through the village making an “agitated” call, and looking “very worried”.
Another neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, also said he saw both acting unusually. He said: “I saw them the day before they were found – they were walking the dogs and Andrew was on the phone. Andrew was very agitated, and he was arguing violently in English, he just waved at me and then carried on.”
‘Gangsters’ theory
Andrew spent over 20 years working alongside the police and Serious Fraud Office in the UK, in the fight against organised crime. This included working on “sanctions screening” – checking individuals and groups who may be banned from dealing in the UK due to connections with rogue nations, terrorist groups and drug traffickers.
It is believed this would alert organised crime networks worldwide to Andrew. A source previously said: “A criminal enquiry has been launched, and the fear is that the couple were murdered. They were very fit, and very popular locally, but there is a theory that they were being pursued by criminals from the United Kingdom.
The source continued: “This is currently the prioritised line of enquiry, because Mr Searle was once involved in the fight against organised crime and terrorism. It may well be that gangsters with a score to settle are behind these killings.”